‘Adnaan

He was from the progeny of Qaydar bin Ismaa‘eel.

Ma‘ad

Ma‘ad was an extraordinarily strong and gallant warrior. He spent his entire life fighting against the Banu Israa’eel and was triumphant in all his battles. His appellation was Abu Nazar. (“Appellation” refers to a name by which the father is called in attribution to his eldest child e.g. Abu Muhammed – Father of Muhammed)

Ma‘ad bin ‘Adnaan was a twelve year old lad during the reign of the famous king, Bukhtenasr. Allah Ta’ala informed the Nabi of that era, Hazrat Armiyaa’ bin Halqiyaa (‘alaihis salaam), through divine revelation, to convey the following message to Bukhtenasr: “We (i.e. Allah Ta‘ala) pledge to grant you (i.e. Bukhtenasr) dominance over the Arabs. And you, O Prophet! Take this young boy, Ma‘ad bin ‘Adnaan, away with you on your horse (Buraaq) so that he does not suffer any harm. I will extract from the spine of Ma‘ad a noble prophet (Hazrat Muhammed (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)) with whom I will seal the succession of prophets (i.e. he will be the seal of all prophets) Accordingly, Hazrat Armiyaa’ (‘alaihis salaam) mounted his Buraaq, seated the young Ma‘ad bin ‘Adnaan with him, and left him in Syria. Here, in Syria, he grew up and lived with the Banu Israa’eel. This is one of the reasons for the lineage of Ma‘ad bin ‘Adnaan being so well known amongst the ‘Ulamaa of the Ahl-e-Kitaab (Jews and Christians).

Allah Ta’ala has mentioned in the Qur’aan Kareem:

لَقَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ اَنۡفَسِکُمۡ

“Verily a messenger has come to you from the best amongst yourselves….” 

Hazrat Anas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) recited the above verse with a Fat-hah on the فاء of the word أنفسكم. In other words, verily a prophet of Allah has come to you from amongst the most superior, noble and virtuous of you (your tribes). After reciting this verse, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “I am the most noble and superior of you in family lineage. From the time of Aadam (‘alaihis salaam) right up to me, there was no adultery. All of our ancestors were born in wedlock.”